New Parking Meters Allow Credit Cards News 8 -CBS news http://www.kfmb.com/ Last Updated: 06-05-06 at 2:07PM
Having enough change to pay for street parking can be a hassle. But now, your credit card may come in handy next time you're parking downtown. On Saturday, work crews pulled out old parking meter posts and installed 50 new high-tech machines.
The city installed the machines as part of a nine-month project to replace older coin meters.
Mayor Jerry Sanders demonstrated how to use one of the machines Monday. He says they will help save the city money.
"We don't have literally hundreds of parking meters all over the city that will require they be emptied out frequently and that we are repairing all of the time," he said, "so the cost goes down fairly dramatically."
One of the new devices replaces 10 of the old parking meters, according to the mayor's office.
Motorists who park their cars at the machines are able to pay with a credit card, a prepaid meter card or coins, and are issued tickets to leave on their dashboards.
Signs will also be posted near the meters instructing drivers on how to use the machines, according to information officer Mona Favorite Hill.
The new meters cost between $10,000 and $11,000 each, but the city was able to get a discount due to the large number ordered.